Global Policy Forum

On the eve of Russian Foreign Minister IgorIvanov's visit to New Delhi, a senior Russian diplomat said Sunday that Moscow would support India's bid to secure a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.

"India is one of the strongest and the most-fitting candidates forpermanent membership in the U.N. Security Council," Alexander Yakovenko, thedirector of the Foreign Ministry's information and press department toldMoscow's Nezavisimaya gazeta daily newspaper.The diplomat added that the inclusion of India was necessary in light of the ongoing changes on the global political landscape.

According to Yakovenko, "the Organization of the United Nations shouldadapt to the new reality" if it were to pursue successfully in the futureits chief goals of maintaining international peace and security.

The Security Council has 15 members, five of which -- China, France,Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- are permanent .The remaining 10 members are elected for two-year terms by the GeneralAssembly, but are not eligible for immediate re-election.

The candidacies of India, Germany and Japan have been mentioned most oftenamong the countries that could assume permanent membership in the council ifit is ever enlarged.

Speaking of bilateral relations between Delhi and Moscow, Yakovenko saidthat the two countries would strive to continue building traditionally closeties, especially in such areas as military and technical cooperation thatboosts Russia's exports and provides cash for its staggering economy.

The diplomat pointed out "rather good prospects" for military-technicalcooperation, adding that besides selling weapons and military equipment toIndia, the Kremlin had also begun to realize with the Indian partners jointprojects such as licensed production of Russian arms in India.

"We have begun to carry out a new long-term cooperation program in thisarea and it covers the time period until 2010. Very soon, theinter-governmental Russian-Indian commission will start working in thisdirection, too," said Yakovenko.

The diplomat also raised the issue of creating a system providinginternational security and stability where he said Russia, India and Chinacould play a major role considering the goals they share.Ruling out the creation of a three-nation military alliance, Yakovenkoadded that there was a "possibility to coordinate efforts of the threestates on the most important foreign policy issues." "Russia, India and China have common interests that we would like toprotect together. Such cooperation needs to be open and transparent in orderto work out."

Yakovenko said it was possible as Beijing and Delhi had recently showntheir determination to approach each other in order to build constructiverelations.

"The positive outcome of the recent exchange of top-level visits witnessesthat this tendency could be developed further," Yakovenko was quoted assaying.

Ivanov's visit starts May 3 and will focus mainly on the preparation ofPresident Vladimir Putin's talks with Indian Prime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee who is scheduled to arrive in Moscow this fall.

Last October, the two leaders met in New Delhi and signed the Declarationon Strategic Partnership between the two countries.